1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of speech processing technologies and, more particularly, to a speech-enabled application that uses Web 2.0 concepts to interface with speech engines.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, companies having a Web presence thrived by providing as many people broad access to as much information as possible. Information flow was unidirectional, from a company to information consumers. As time has progressed, users have become inundated with too much information from too many sources. Successful Web sites began to provide user-facing information management and information filtration mechanisms designed to aid users in identifying information of interest. Even these Web sites were somewhat flawed in a sense that information still flowed in a unidirectional manner. A user was limited to information gathered and groomed by a particular information provider.
A new type of Web application began to emerge which emphasized user interactions and two-way information exchange. These new Web applications operated more as information marketplaces were people shared information and not as information depots where users accessed a semi-static reservoir of information. This new Web and set of Web applications can be referred to as Web 2.0, where Web 2.0 signifies a second generation of Web based services and applications that emphasize online collaboration and information sharing among users. In other words, a Web 1.0 application would be one that was effectively read-only from a user perspective, whereas a Web 2.0 application would provide read, write, and update access to end-users. Web 2.0 users can fundamentally change a Web 2.0 application.
Specific examples of Web 2.0 instances include WIKIs, BLOGs, social networking sites, FOLKSONOMIEs, MASHUPs, and the like. All of these Web 2.0 instances allow end-users to add content, which other users are able to access. A value of a Web 2.0 Web site is enhanced by the user provided content and may even be completely dependent upon it.
For example, WIKIPEDIA (e.g., one Web 2.0 application) is a WIKI based encyclopedia where each end-user is able to view, add, and edit content. No content would exist without end-user contributions. Information accuracy results from an end-user population constantly updating erroneous entries which other users provide. As new innovations emerge, customers update and add WIKIPEDIA entries that describe these new innovations. Other examples of Web 2.0 applications include MYSPACE.com, YOUTUBE.com, DEL.ICIO.US.com, CRAIGSLIST.com, and the like.
Currently, a schism exists between speech processing technologies and Web 2.0 applications, meaning that Web 2.0 instances do not generally incorporate speech processing technologies. One reason for this is that conventional interfaces to speech resources are too complex for an average end-user to utilize. For this reason, speech technologies are typically only available from Web sites/services that provide a unidirectional flow of information. For example, speech technologies are commonly used by enterprises to handle routine customer interactions via a telephone interface, such as providing bank balances and the like.
One problem contributing to the schism is that speech processing technologies are currently implemented using a non-uniform interface and the Web 2.0 is generally based upon a uniform interface. That is, speech processing operations are accessed via function calls, method invocations, remote procedure calls (RPC), and other messages that are only understood by a specific server or a small subset of components. A specific invocation mechanism and required parameters must be known by a client and must be integrated into an interface. A non-uniform interface is characteristic of RPC based techniques, which includes Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), JINI, and the like. Without deliberate integration efforts, however, the chances that two software objects designed from an unconstrained architecture are near nil. At best, an ad hoc collection of software objects having vastly different interface requirements result from the RPC style architecture. The lack of uniform interfaces makes integrating speech processing capabilities for each RPC based application a unique endeavor fraught with application specific challenges which usually require significant speech processing design skills to overcome.
In contrast, a uniform interface exists that includes a few basic primitive commands (e.g., GET, PUT, POST, DELETE) that act upon targets, which in a Web 2.0 context are generally able to be referenced by Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). A term used for this type of architecture is Representational State Transfer (REST). REST based solutions simplify component implementation, reduce the complexity of connector semantics, improve the effectiveness of performance tuning, and increase the scalability of pure server components. The Web (e.g., hypertext technologies) in general is founded upon REST principles. Web 2.0 expands these REST principles to permit end users to add (HTTP PUT), update (HTTP POST), and remove (HTTP DELETE) content. Thus, WIKIs, BLOGs, FOLKSONOMIEs, MASHUPs, and the like are all considered RESTful since each generally follows REST principles.
What is needed to bridge the gap between speech processing resources and conventional Web 2.0 applications is a new paradigm for interfacing with speech processing resources which makes speech processing resources more available to end-users. In this contemplated paradigm, end-users would optimally be able to cooperatively and dynamically develop speech-enabled solutions which the end-users would then be able to integrate into Web 2.0 content. Thus, a more robust Web 2.0 environment that incorporates speech processing technologies will be allowed to evolve. This is a stark contrast with a conventional paradigm for interfacing with speech processing resources, which is decisively non-RESTful in nature.